Friends,
On Thursday, hundreds of us tuned in to talk about the action plan to stop Keystone XL in the next few months. If you missed the call, you can watch a recording here — we covered all you need to know to get more involved with the fight.
We just stopped a last-ditch push in Congress to approve the pipeline led by a powerful Senator who put her entire career on the line to approve Keystone XL. Meanwhile, President Obama is talking more and more like someone who wants to stop the pipeline. But the climate denying, pipeline happy Congress will try to interfere with new bills and amendments to major legislation.
We have come so far. We are strong. And now, we just need to close the deal.
Closing the deal means getting the President to reject Keystone XL as soon as possible, and stopping back-door attempts to push the pipeline through Congress. The tools we’re going to use are:
- Nationwide, rapid-response mobilizations that show the breadth of our opposition to the pipeline.
- High-energy, high-impact actions in DC that show the depth of our commitment to stop Keystone XL,
- Movement wide, coordinated online actions that allow us to speak out in numbers and reach the President and Congress at key moments.
Here are some of the plans that were announced last night, and how you can get involved:
When Congress Tries to Pass Keystone XL: Mitch McConnell says Keystone XL will be his first priority in the new Congress (which is pretty crazy, when you think of it). With so many new deniers in Congress, it’s likely a bill will pass, which means we need to jump into action by (a) mobilizing to get President Obama to veto the pipeline and (b) turning swing votes against the pipeline into strong “no Keystone XL” votes to sustain his veto. That will mean actions in a few key states ahead of the vote — Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Pennslyvania, we’re looking at you — and a nationwide push to show President Obama we demand a veto.
Stop Keystone XL Now Team: We’re creating a team that we’ll be in more regular contact with in order to better coordinate and pull together rapid response actions. Folks on this team will receive more regular emails about the Keystone campaign, in addition to being the ‘first responders’ that lead the way on organizing actions when important news breaks. Click here to join the Stop Keystone XL Now Team: act.350.org/survey/stop-kxl-now-team/
Reject Keystone XL Now Simple Explainer: I know people are likely taking the next couple weeks to spend time with our families and enjoy the holidays. If you have the chance, I hope that you’ll also take this time to bring more people into the movement. We put together a simple, direct explanation of Keystone XL, the tar sands, and why President Obama needs to stop the pipeline now — and how to get more involved — to share with friends and family. Click here to see the slideshow and get instructions on how to use it.
Responding to a Nebraska Supreme Court Decision: Any day now, the Nebraska Supreme Court could decide on whether the Keystone pipeline’s route through the state is legal. It’s a lose-lose: either TransCanada’s route is thrown out, and the process starts again, or it’s allowed to happen, and they’re stuck with a risky route that makes it simple for Pres. Obama to reject. Our friends at Bold Nebraska are standing ready for action, and we’ll support them with a massive online and offline push as soon as the decision is handed down.
Supporting our friends on the front lines in South Dakota: No KXL Dakota is a growing alliance of landowners and tribal leaders in South Dakota fighting the re-approval of Keystone XL’s expired permit in the state and defending tribal sovereignty to stop the pipeline. In the spring, we’ll need to be ready to jump in to support them in the permit process, and in the steps that follow. Click here to find out more about their work and how to support them.
Like Sara said before, this is a tough, but navigable road ahead to stop the pipeline. We can get this done if we work together.
It feels weird to be excited about times like these, but considering all that we’ve accomplished so far, I am actually looking forward to being in this with you.
Thank you so much (and enjoy the holidays and New Year).
Duncan